Traffic increase at Changi Airport led by Asian growth

SINGAPORE's Changi Airport says an increase in weekly scheduled flights seen since the northern winter season began at the end of October is being led by growth in demand for flights to Asia, the Indian subcontinent in particular.

Officials said in a statement that since October 28, Changi Airport has achieved a new record of 4,300 weekly scheduled flights. This is an increase of more than 100 weekly flights compared to the peak experienced during the preceding northern summer season from March 25 to October 27.

Lim Kim Choon, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), said: "Leading this growth are increases in flights to south Asia and north Asia, in particular the Indian subcontinent. This is not surprising, given that India and China are Singapore's fastest growing markets for business and tourism."

The CAAS release said that for the first eight months of the year, passenger movement between Singapore and India increased by 17.5 per cent year on year, and by 11.3 per cent for China compared to the corresponding prior year period.

In a bid to meet higher demand this winter season, more flights are being operated from the Lion City to the three Indian cities of Chennai, Bangalore and Cochin. Additional flights are also being provided to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Fuzhou.

In addition, two new destinations have been added to Changi's air network, with flights now operating to Coimbatore in India and Kathmandu in Nepal. Another region with new flights from Singapore is Oceania, with additional flights to Perth, Brisbane and Auckland, the CAAS statement added.